"The Caribbean drug trade is both an old and new story," says Bagley, the organized crime expert. "Old routes have come back into play. But we haven't seen this level of criminality and corruption in Puerto Rico before. The island is really suffering."

For now, Pesquera is pleading for help, including at a recent meeting with Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano, who pledged support. "I don't think she was blowing smoke up my ass," he says. Yet when the Coast Guard unveiled a fleet of 12 new cutters, they went to Miami and Key West — where drugs rarely arrive via the ocean these days — instead of Puerto Rico.

Truth is, there's little willpower in D.C. to spend heavily on an island of 3.6 million people whose ballots don't count. Perhaps that's why Puerto Ricans are debating louder than ever their identity as a U.S. commonwealth. When boricuas went to the polls last November, 54 percent rejected the status quo. But the vote was split between those who favored independence, statehood, or remaining a commonwealth. Fortuño — the governor who appointed Pesquera — was dumped out of office.

Michael E. Miller

Hector Pesquera, former head of the FBI's Miami office, oversees the much-maligned Puerto Rico Police Department.

Michael E. Miller

AK-47 bullet casings at a triple murder scene in Canovanas, east of San Juan.

Details

The chaos and uncertainty go far beyond the ballot box. The son of a former police chief was recently arrested for using his late father's estate as a drug stash. Pesquera, meanwhile, isn't sure whether he will remain police chief beyond the end of March, when he is scheduled to return to Miami. His department remains in flux: 17,000 cops with frayed uniforms, aging equipment, no computers, and — if the fatal shooting of Saul Medina Figueroa is any indication — more than a few bad apples.

Like the island nation, the families touched by its dizzying array of violence face an uncertain future in which justice is by no means guaranteed. "Death, jail, drugs, killings. That's what the streets are now," Hector Camacho Jr. said after his father's fatal shooting.

Figueroa recently received two years' probation as punishment for witnessing a cop kill her son. Her other son, Adrian — who still has a bullet buried in his collarbone — accepted a deal of three years in prison to avoid a life behind bars.

On February 27, David Bonilla Fernández, wearing a white polo, spiky hair, and an expression free of emotion, walked into San Juan's central courthouse. Cops were waiting for him. Five days earlier, they had distributed photos of Bonilla and three others surrounding Ramos moments before his murder at the SanSe festival. Prosecutors had charged Bonilla in absentia, and the scrawny 24-year-old had arrived to turn himself in.

But there was no relief for Ramos's family. Bonilla hasn't confessed, and the video evidence against him is thin. Unless terrified witnesses can be persuaded to testify, a jury will likely let him off.

In fact, Bonilla could be strolling around free even earlier. Last November 4, Puerto Rican voters rejected an amendment that would have revoked the automatic right of accused criminals to bond out. So if Bonilla can come up with $120,000, he will walk.

If that happens, Sujeylee Ramos — like so many before her — will probably leave Puerto Rico to join her family in the States.

"To tell you the truth, I am worried to be here in Puerto Rico," she says. "If somebody can do something like that to my brother, surrounded by so many people, they can do anything."

Thank you for this information. Let me share a TRUE STORY of MURDER IN P.R. Yes, the increasing murders in Puerto Rico are happening at the peril of the U.S. and the U.S. for so long has ignored Puerto Rico in so many ways. Think of a line tracing events, from point A to point B, point A marking events such as the Grito de Lares. Well, think for a moment, point B marks the ruins of events like Grito de Lares, which were not resolved, so that people are crippled with social programs, and have adopted violence as a social front. Take for example, Jason (real life story, name changed here). Jason grew up near one of the beach drug infected communities. He was shy and insecure, with a smothering mother, and only 360 games for a companion. He had no neighbors, no kid to play with. When he went to school, too insecure, some of his schoolmates made fun of him. He premeditated getting even with a schoolmate, sat behind him in class, and jammed a key on the back of the kid's skull. The boy survived miraculously without brain damage. Some corrupted enemies of his father pretended to befriend him, and influenced him to seek homosexual encounters to prostitute himself, maliciously introduced him to drugs, and turned him against someone who helped raise him, in order to isolate him. Jason appears "blank", as if suffering from multiple personalities. He was not one of those teenagers who wished to get a job to pay for a car, or for a constructive hobby. He only sold himself to get money to buy body building products to satisfy his insecurity building his body to threaten people. He was using drugs. At the same time, he has moments when he likes the Bible, as if he had multiple personalities. But, rather than letting the Bible win, he threatened to murder the very same caring human being who helped raise him, so that he is completely alone, with his "blank" mind that preying drug dealers fill with violence. His mother, due to an inheritance issue, inculcated violence in Jason against a member of the family who cares about Jason and who wants no part in the inheritance. Well, as a result of filling his blank mind with hatred, Jason hates himself and others. YES, VIOLENT MEN LIKE JASON WHO PREMEDITATE MURDERS ARE SUICIDAL. Jason has had episodes when he "shits" on the moment of his birth. With the inheritance that his mother took away from someone else, he purchased a nice Mazda to show off to make up for his insecurity, instead of investing his money to build a future for himself. After he premeditated to kill the kid in school who bullied him, he was found innocent. Jason has continued to premeditate murders, to use drugs, and to seek the company of drug dealers. Now that he wasted away his inheritance, he is used by drug dealers to do the dirty work. He is serving a prison sentence. His so called friends who use him to get his hands dirty, are waiting for him to get out of prison to continue to prey on him. Jason is point B, he and many other Jasons in Puerto Rico are the "blank point B", with reflexes like cave men, inhuman. I have posted this comment to create awareness about this social bloody epidemic.

Two Cubans asked me if I was nuts taking my 3 kids to PR in the summer of 2011. We spent a week there travelling along the northern and eastern coasts and Vieques. No problems at all. We had a great time exploring the natural wonders of the Camuy caves and the rainforest of El Yunque as well as the historic forts and buildings of Old San Juan. As long as you're not looking for drugs, you can have a great time in PR with some very nice people.

Miller just reported facts..not Puerto Rican tourism false advertising that has been put out for years. PR is a cesspool and has been a drain on the US for years. They kicked us out of God forsaken Culebra as a Navy bombing target which was all it was good for. Then the wanted us to close Roosevelt Roads, which we did which caused their economy to dry up on their east coast.Smart.

Fine, they are of no use to us, they don't want our money, so stop propping up their corrupt government. They want to be free...GOOD IDEA. Americans need to wake up and cut off this crime ridden,fiscal drain.

If you want to vist there, for some unknown reason--maybe you want to hear those annoying little bastard frogs...buy a gun as sooon as you get there to protect yourself and your family.

In addition, in PR we do not grow Coca plants or any other type of drug. At least not in large proportions. Maybe some marijuana in small proportions. We do not fabricate guns in any way. The only ships that transport goods to PR has to be of American Flag. Not from any other country. If drugs are smuggled from South and Central America, we are not the responsible, since we are not in power to protect our borders. You need to ask TSA and Border Patrol if they are doing their job. So, somebody is allowing those AK-47 bullets and guns to arrive to the island. See if you can talk about something more interesting next time, you brat.

Mr. Miller, I forgot to tell you something. Other prof that you are a bias incompetent. The picture of the mother and daughter step on the place where a police officer killed her two sons only reminds me of the two delinquent that try to kill the police officer. I don't think you knew enough about the story to include it in your report. You have no business doing this job. Your only intentions are to damage the image of our island, but you have enough problems in your city to do that.

Mr. Miller, I think your segment is bias and you have no business doing this job. I can write the same negative things about Miami, starting by drug addicts that eats the face of a living human being. PR security problem is complex and I see no professional reason to use our flag like that. It shows the lack of respect you feel. Let me tell you something. You are no better than us. The problems your city have with crime are the same. All those crimes you mentioned, 99% are between drug dealers. The same drug that is brought from Colombia, Venezuela and the Dominican Republic to PR so they can ship it to your city. This is a major problem that affect us all. Would you like to see the FL flag in a disrespectful way, like you do? For example, I can say that Miami has 501 crimes per square mile, while the US average is 39.6. Is that good for you? That is nasty. You should write about your city and try to be a professional.

This newspaper should be censored ,shows only little knowledge, morbidity and racism. How you guys had the nerves to used PR flag in such a caricature when here in USA we have to respect your flag? I bet that this mediocre newspaper did not mention PR when they beat the U.S. team a week ago? No!they had a "better" story to talk about,wao!something that happens on the island while ago:criminality. Not all in PR is bad,not all the people living in PR are poor or at risk. American do not forget that USA invaded PR. USA is not the" good samaritan" with PR there is no reason for this ridiculous cover!

@chelo.boricuazo Chelo, I don't agree with your comment. Mr. Miller's country is my country. US and PR are the same country, even if you don't like it. I don't like Mr. Miller comments since Miami has the same problems, so it is kind of hypocrite on his behalf. Please, don't bring comments that does not contribute to the subject in any way.

@lawmia Funny thing about Culebra is that yesterday a little kid from North America got burn by a live ammunition that remained in Culebra. The media said it was phosphorus or something like that. Karma is a bitch, right?

I disagree with you Sr. First of all, that we are American citizens, same as you. So please, don't talk about us like we are from other country. Even if you like it or not, we are still the same country, even though we do not have the right to vote for the president and we have no vote in the Congress.

I don't know if you are aware, but after the last election, there were movements of people writing the White House requesting the independence of some states. Even today, there are movements inside the 50 states that don't like the Federal Government. My point with this is, that in all countries, there are people with different lines of believes. However, in democracies, the majority get to chose what it is going to happen. PR is not an exception. We have some groups that does not like the statehood idea. However, the majority of us feel that we are 1 Country with the US and we all are American Citizens with PRIDE. So much PRIDE, that we are active in every war our President and the Congress agree to go, even though we do not have the right to vote for them.

My point is, there is diversity; however, we, the majority are Americans like you. It is a fact that we have problems with drug dealers, there are problems with immigrants coming from CUBA, Haiti and Dominican Republic, but the problem is complex, out of our reach in many ways, by our limitations of making decisions that only the President or the Congress can do (TSA, Border Patrol, Etc.).

In addition, you talk about crime? Miami, Atlanta, Detroit, California, all those cities have the same problem. So, stop pretending the problem is only in PR, since you have the same issues near your house.

First I will respect you opinion and I wait from you to do same them what Mr. Michael is writing about is real I don’t blame him what I blame is why they use a picture that make the symbol like in Puerto Rico is the worst place to be, that is not real we don’t have people running crazing killing in theater or school bunch of people ok do I make myself clear, why he don’t talk about all the kill in Iraq, all the kill in Mexico or better talk about all the kill in the 48 state that have to be very high and make a portal magazine with al united stated map cover with the flag of United State and Blood on the border what you think that people will say. That is the point.

First I will respect you opinion and I wait from you to do same them what Mr. Michael is writing about is real I don’t blame him what I blame is why they use a picture that make the symbol like in Puerto Rico is the worst place to be, that is not real we don’t have people running crazing killing in theater or school bunch of people ok do I make myself clear, why he don’t talk about all the kill in Iraq, all the kill in Mexico or better talk about all the kill in the 48 state that have to be very high and make a portal magazine with al united stated map cover with the flag of United State and Blood on the border what you think that people will say. That is the point.

"Puerto Rico is an unincorporated organized territory of the United States, subject to the plenary powers of the U.S. Congress and with the right to establish a constitution for the internal administration of government and on matters of purely local concern.

On July 25, 1898 at the outbreak of the Spanish–American War, Puerto Rico was invaded by the United States with a landing at Guánica. Following the outcome of the war, Spain was forced to cede Puerto Rico, along with Cuba, the Philippines, and Guam to the United States under the Treaty of Paris."

@gardenia073@Honestperson31 I don't deny the problems we have in our island. Thanks G's I can make the choice to get a plane in First Class and select the State I want, right? In your case you need to swim with sharks and beg the Americans to accept you in their country. So sad for you, right? Is that the reason you hate us? Way for 10 years with a green card? If they catch you in water you are going back to your hated island, he he. So funny, right? Any way, since Cubans arrived to Miami, the crime rate is sky high. So I have no idea why are you talking, pathetic Gardenia!

@Honestperson31@gardenia073@riveraf0WOW! WE SAW A GUY GET SHOT AT DUFFYS IN ESPERANZA VIEQUES ISLAND JANUARY 2014 LAST MONTH! SEE for yourself at ParadiseNO.com! They work close with ViequesNO.com also works with the NewYorkTimes. Dangerous place!